Deaths highlight industrial safety failures; workers demand legal action against management
HARIPUR:
Two workers lost their lives in separate workplace accidents in Haripur district on Sunday, raising fresh concerns over workplace safety standards at industrial and mining sites.
In the first incident, a worker was crushed to death after falling into a machine at a paper manufacturing factory in the Hattar industrial zone. The deceased was identified as Shan Haider, son of Umar Daraz, who was on duty during the night shift when the accident occurred.
According to reports, Haider got stuck in the machine and died on the spot. Rescue efforts continued for several hours before his body was recovered from the machines and transferred to the Rural Health Center (RHC) in Kot Najibullah for medico-legal formalities.
This is the second fatal industrial accident reported in Hattar in a month. A worker previously died at a chemical plant, apparently due to inadequate safety measures.
Following the incident, union representatives visited the factory and criticized management for what they called negligence and failure to enforce mandatory workplace safety measures.
They alleged that safety regulations were systematically ignored and that workers in the industrial zone were exposed to unsafe conditions.
Union leaders further claimed that several accidents had already occurred at the factory, but no effective measures had been taken to ensure compliance with workplace safety laws.
They called on the Ministry of Labor, workplace safety authorities and the police to fully investigate and take legal action against those responsible.
The workers also demanded the opening of criminal proceedings against the factory management if negligence was established during the investigation.
In another incident in the Ghazi region, a young worker died after being buried under a mound of sand in a quarry. The deceased, identified as Muhammad Ibrahim of Mohallah Shah Baba, Golra, Attock, was working as a helper with a loader at the time of the accident.
Police and emergency services transported the body to hospital, where legal formalities were completed before it was handed over to the family for burial. The police registered a complaint and opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
Sealed processing units
The Labor Ministry has closed the main processing units of the Qartas paper mills in the Hattar industrial zone following the death of a worker at the factory, marking what union representatives described as the first such action in the history of the Hattar industrial zone.
The manager personally visited the factory and ordered the production units to be sealed pending further investigation.
According to union representatives, a formal first information report (FIR) regarding the incident will be registered by the family of the deceased worker.
Insaf Labor Wing provincial general secretary Tahir Amin said labor organizations would continue to stand with the bereaved family until justice was served.
He added that efforts would also be made to obtain financial assistance for the family, both from the factory management and the provincial government.
Amin acknowledged that the decision to close the plant’s main processing units had drawn criticism from some quarters.
